Hungary’s government has published a tender for the retail sale of tobacco, according to an EcoNews story quoting Zsolt Gyulay, chief executive of the National Tobacco Trade Nonprofit.

Gyulay told a press conference thatHungary’s parliament had approved a law in September that established a state monopoly over the retail sale of tobacco products from next July.

So the tender was for concessions to sell tobacco products in shops and retail outlets. The deadline for submitting tender bids is February 13, and the government is due to assess the bids within 30 days.